Saturday, July 17, 2010

“Let me say something a tad newsworthy to the president of the NAACP. You can go to hell. ... I have tapes…tape of racism and it’s an NAACP dinner. You want to play with fire? I have evidence of racism and it’s coming from the NAACP."

A piece in the Washington Post. Tito also went to see Palin at her book-signing last fall. He's just getting started, but we wish him the best of luck:---------------

When last we heard from Tito Muñoz, he was onstage with Sarah Palin at a rally in Leesburg in the waning days of the 2008 presidential campaign, a burly guy in a yellow hard hat, trying to bellow some life into the GOP ticket.

Palin worked him into her stump speeches, this Latino Joe the Plumber who, she liked to say, "was born in Colombia but made in the U.S.A.!"

On a recent Saturday morning, Muñoz has exchanged his boots and tool belt for a pressed shirt and slacks. He squeezes behind a microphone in a small radio studio in Laurel. He clears space on the table for a pile of books and essays, including "The Constitutional Thoughts of Thomas Jefferson," "César Chávez Against Illegals," "Hispanics in American Wars" and Spanish translations of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

It's minutes to airtime for his debut as Tito the Radio Host. He's a little frantic.

"Can I have the questions, Mama?" he says to Deborah, his wife. "Where are my glasses?"

They are on his head.

He orders the engineer to cue up his theme song, "America," by the late Nino Bravo, with the chorus, in Spanish: "When God made Eden he thought of America."

"Bienvenidos a 'America Eres Tu,' " he says, welcome to "America Is You." "We Latinos are the largest minority in the United States. We must take our place in history and preserve the vision of the Founding Fathers of this nation."

Los Padres de la Patria! His tone deepens with emotion.

"It's our duty and our responsibility. Because we are America . . . "

Thirty-five minutes later, he remembers to stop and introduce himself.

Tito Muñoz, 50, is the voice and the irrepressible personality of a new effort by some local conservative Latinos to claim more bandwidth in the political conversation taking place in Spanish. A core group of a half-dozen small-business owners has organized into the Conservative Hispanic Coalition; another 24 supporters are less active members.

"America Eres Tu" is the group's main project, a weekly one-hour paid program Saturdays at 9 a.m. on Radio Viva 900 AM. The group expects to pay nearly $20,000 for the first year, largely out of members' own pockets.

For now, the effort is more notable for its inspiration than its impact. Arbitron estimates that 500 people listened to Radio Viva at 9 a.m. on Saturdays in May, before "America Eres Tu" debuted. But station management claims that listenership could be 10 times higher now, because the May paid-programming was not as appealing....

"Many Hispanics are not happy with the Republican Party," says Laura Ramirez-Drain, a founder of the coalition who runs a marketing business in Washington and is herself a Republican activist. "We just want to explain the values of conservatism..."

Ramirez-Drain, a naturalized citizen from Mexico, calculates that more Latinos will join the GOP if they recognize the conservative values they share with the party. "We need to do this to begin to prepare for 2012," she says.

Fabiola Clausen, president of a printing and graphics company in Washington and a native of Colombia, says she was offended when she became a citizen in the early 1990s and Democratic recruiters assumed she would register with them because -- didn't she know? -- the Dems are supposedly the party of "la gente," the people.

"I'm pro-life," Clausen says. "I like small government. I don't want to live off the government."

Despite her differences with Democrats, she voted for Obama because of his promise to address immigration reform in the first year. "I fell for that," she says.

The first edition of "America Eres Tu" is filled with admonitions to go to college, take part in the political process. Muñoz speaks passionately in Spanish about the importance of learning English to get ahead. His first guest is a family therapist from Honduras named Luis Padilla, who tells his uplifting story of learning English, going to college and volunteering on political campaigns.

"You just need the will, the desire and the guts!" Muñoz says.

People start calling in, including some in other states listening over the Internet. The phone number is posted on Muñoz's Facebook page. (He has 3,500 Facebook friends.) When Modesto of Maryland starts complaining about the "barriers" that Latinos face in an increasingly anti-immigrant atmosphere, Muñoz politely shuts him down.

"I disagree that people are trying to take away your dream," he says. "The dream is yours. You make the dream. You follow it. You achieve it..."

Tito and Deborah started DeBorn Construction in Woodbridge, which has four employees, down from nine a year ago, because of the dragging economy. The company prepares sites for development. Muñoz wears a hard hat and works side by side with his men. The company has a project now at Fort Belvoir. Bumper stickers on Muñoz's Chevy truck say "Socialism Isn't Cool" and "Palin Power."

He became a citizen in fall 2008 and dived right into the McCain campaign. Lately he has attended "tea party" rallies. "We have to do everything we can to keep this country the way it was founded," he says.

Muñoz and his radio cohorts are up to something unusual, says Alberto Acereda, a professor of Spanish literature at Arizona State University who has argued that "there is a vacuum when it comes to Spanish-language conservative media." That is starting to change, Acereda says in an interview, but still, "most of the press in Spanish tends to be more on the liberal side, and more supporting the Democratic Party..."

Afterward, Tito the Radio Host is so exhilarated, he spills his bottle of water on his copy of the Constitution in Spanish. The Constitution can take a little water, he allows, but "the Constitution can't take anymore months of Obama." He might say so on the air next week. This week, he admits, he was a little less provocative.

"This is my first time, I don't know what I'm doing," he says. "Everything, I learn from scratch. America is the place where everything you want to do, you do!"

Okay, so the US Weekly and People magazine pieces on Bristol are on the shelves. I just got back from trying to inconspicuously peek through the articles. I didn't buy either one because I don't want to feed that media frenzy, although I was tempted to get the People one because there are some really cute pics of Tripp and no Levi in sight.

Here's my impression (not any speculation, just an impression, a review, if you will):

The People article had very cute photos and was a good interview overall. Good PR. On the Levi thing, Bristol hinted around that her and Levi were putting the past behind them and might even rekindle, etc... Maybe even think about marriage, although she said that nothing was definite.

Now, obviously, this article comes out on the exact same day that US Weekly announces they got engaged two weeks ago. Obviously, they work on these things a little in advance, so it's possible that she did People before the engagement. If not, then Bristol is a clever little thing. Maybe even a tad devious, but hey, she blitzes two publications in one day. You can't call her stupid. Also, there's the obvious thing that she gave US the exclusive, so she couldn't very well spill her guts to People.

As for the US Weekly article, I didn't read the whole thing because it would take too long and people were already looking at me funny for taking up the aisle reading a tabloid, but I did catch one line that I was glad to see.

I'm paraphrasing here:

"I love my mom more than anything. That'll never change. Once she sees that he's getting his education and has really changed, she'll come around and it'll be awesome. Until then, we're on our own."

- Bristol

Levi says something like he knows the Palins still see him as the punk who posed in Playgirl, but that was the old him. Um, yeah. Not much distance between the old you and the "new" you, Levi, but whatever. But he wants them to know that he really loves their daughter, blah, blah, blah...

Putting aside anything that may come in the future or any politics, I must say that overall the two pieces were good PR. Nicely done.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I was in a really good mood yesterday. It was one of those days where nothing could really bother me. You could say, "Guess what? Your house just burned down." I probably would have said, "That's nice. I didn't really like that house anyway."

That was my Wednesday. Well, this is Thursday, and I won't say that I've gone back completely to my cranky self, but I'm about halfway there. Maybe JeanA was right after all. ;)

Oh, I don't know. I thought about how I've been talking a lot about this tabloid stuff lately. I'm not sure why. I think it's because it's a puzzle; different pieces saying different things. I like puzzles. I like to try and figure them out - piece them together. Or maybe I'm just plain nosey. :)

Anyway, curious as I am, tempting though it may be, I'm going to put a kabosh on it for awhile. Maybe forever. I shall try to resist.

I would like to take this opportunity and thank the author who has taken note to our successful fund-raising quarter. Every donor is a blessing and symbolizes the hope I hold that we can and will get our country back on the right track.

However, I would respectfully disagree with some points when it comes to former Gov. Sarah Palin’s fund-raising ability. It is important to recognize Palin’s effect in our fund-raising numbers. Our successful fund-raising is due, in part, to the fact that she dedicated her time and efforts to come to Minnesota in April to help my reelection campaign.

My race wasn’t the only race that Palin worked hard to raise money for. She’s lent her presence for raising money to non-profits and political groups, as well as other candidates. Her effect on all aspects of politics shouldn’t be undersold. We are all grateful to her support of constitutional conservatives around the nation.

As to my campaign’s fund-raising, I know House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has a very different plan for my life — other than serving in the House. Pelosi is no small threat. This is why Palin graciously agreed to make me one of the first 2010 candidates for whom she campaigned.

To say the Democrats have targeted my race is a massive understatement. They have an array of Acorn/SEIU/EMILY’s List workers and the benefit of millions in far-left money reserved for my defeat.

[...]

Pelosi and the Democrats have targeted me specifically to silence my voice in repealing Obamacare and rolling back the spending and tax increases about to come our way. I can’t wait to defeat their bad agenda.

WASHINGTON -- Good for the NAACP. We need an honest conversation about the role of race and racism in the tea party movement. Thanks to a resolution passed this week at the venerable organization's national convention, we'll get it.

The minute you say there are racist elements at the tea parties -- reflected in signs at rallies, billboards, and speeches from some of its major figures -- the pushback goes from cries of persecution to charges that those who are criticizing divisiveness are themselves the dividers.

So let's dispense with the obvious: Most of the opposition to President Obama comes from people who are against his policies, not his race. The tea party movement is motivated primarily by right-wing ideology, not by racism.

But guess what? Nothing the NAACP is saying contradicts this. Its contention is that there are clearly racist strains in the tea parties and that the movement's leaders and the politicians who profit from its activism should denounce them plainly and unequivocally.

Here's what Ben Jealous, the NAACP's president and CEO, asked of the tea party movement: "Expel the bigots and racists in your ranks or take the responsibility for them and their actions. We will no longer allow you to hide like cowards."

The NAACP is doing exactly what conservatives have done for decades in demanding that liberals and progressives separate themselves from left-wing extremists who trashed America, burned flags and praised foreign dictators. The racists are the tea partiers' flag-burners. It's fair to ask the democratic left to condemn extremism. It's fair to ask the same of the democratic right. (Note the small "d.")

I reached Jealous in Kansas City, where he was attending the NAACP convention, and he went out of his way to emphasize that his group is not making a blanket charge of racism. "We have never called the Tea Party racist," he said. "We know there are black Tea Party members and we want black people to feel comfortable taking leadership positions in all parties in this country."

But speaking of tea party leaders, he added: "We've seen the signs, we've heard the slurs, and all we're asking is for you to act responsibly and say there's no space for bigots in the Tea Party."

Sarah Palin struck back Tuesday on her Facebook page, declaring herself "saddened by the NAACP's claim that patriotic Americans who stand up for the United States of America's constitutional rights are somehow ‘racists.'"

That, of course, is not what the NAACP is saying.

She went on to refer to "America's past racism," and identified herself with Ronald Reagan, who said it was "a legacy of evil." And then Palin brought the conversation back to herself.

"Having been on the receiving end of a similar spurious charge of racism," she said, "I know how Tea Party Americans feel to be falsely accused."

This is a shameless, narcissistic dodge. "Palin wants to construct a false argument," Jealous said in the telephone interview. "Palin wants the terms of debate to be about people calling her racist, and nobody's calling her racist." The NAACP, he said, is simply challenging her along with other Tea Party leaders to separate themselves cleanly from "racist behavior" by some in the movement.

"We have seen what's happened in the past when we let groups play ‘Hide the Ball' with racism in their ranks," Jealous said...

Let's start with former Rep. Tom Tancredo's speech at a Tea Party convention last February that never got the attention it deserved. The reason we elected "Barack Hussein Obama," Tancredo said back then, is "mostly because I think we do not have a civics literacy test before people can vote in this country." By the way, he was cheered for this.

Should anyone be surprised that members of the NAACP might be alarmed over the suggestion that we need "literacy tests," phony devices once used to keep African-Americans from voting?

Guilt by association is wrong, but it's entirely legitimate to insist that those who believe in democracy and freedom take forceful steps to disassociate themselves from people in their movement who peddle racism, intolerance and fear. That's what the NAACP is asking. It's your move, Sarah.-----------------------

Oh, please. "Your move"? Thinking a little highly of yourself there, eh Dionne? As if she gives a rat's behind what you think.

First of all, the NAACP condemnation used pictures of a handful of signs out of a movement of millions and the false story that racial epithets were hurled at black Congressmen after they passed the health care bill as their basis for this idiocy.

Now, maybe they have time to track down every last idiot in this country and demand that whatever group they're a part of condemn them. They must have a lot of time to waste.

Meanwhile, every time Zo posts a video on You Tube or a black Tea Party candidate gives a speech, the comment sections are filled with liberals calling them "house niggas."

As for Palin's "dodge," perhaps this guy didn't see the NAACP's tweet (that was later deleted) saying that the Tea Party had sent racists to D.C. to hurl epithets and the NAACP wouldn't let them get away with it! Palin is identified with the TPM. Therefore, she was smeared as well. And she was mostly defending the people in the Tea Party. She just used herself as an example since she is associated with the Tea Party Movement.

The NAACP's condemnation was an attempt to smear an entire movement because of a few people that the vast, VAST majority of tea party protestors have never even seen at a rally. They can sit back now and split hairs, but the whole thing was unnecessary and their real agenda is as transparent as glass. And one more thing, to imply that a Tea Party American would not condemn someone they saw at a rally with a truly offensive sign is insulting. And I include myself in that category. I've been to three rallies in my state. I've never once seen anything that could be remotely considered racist. And if I did, I'd say something.

Every movement has its fringes. This guy is comparing a literal handful of people to a wing that has whole marches full of lunatics screaming things like "Kill George Bush!"

As for Tom Tancredo or whatever, I am so sick and tired of these people trying to find a racist under every rock. They did this to Hillary Clinton, for Pete's sake. "Oh the 'code words' the Clinton campaign was hurling, they're obviously aimed at Obama being black." Oh, shut up! I'm not a Hillary fan, but that was ridiculous.

Tancredo was talking about how stupid the typical Obama voter was. Do liberals not charge the same thing of Republicans or Sarah Palin followers all the time? But because Obama's black, dig out that race card.

I'll return the NAACP's favor. Since they haven't come out against the Black Panther idiot who picked up a microphone and screamed about killing 'crackas' and 'white babies,' the NAACP is racist. They hate white people. And we will not allow them to hide any longer!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Call me crazy, but I don't have a bad feeling about the Bristol getting married thing.

I do feel for her parents.

Sarah and Todd obviously want what is best for their daughter, and that includes a good, loving husband for her and a great father for Tripp. Like all parents, they want their daughter to marry a prince. With the way Levi has behaved this last year, they're definitely not thinking that he's got what it takes. From their statement it sounds like they are less than thrilled. Who can blame them? I'd blame them if they didn't have reservations.

Bristol has shown herself to be very independent-minded. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's...interesting.

I think she really does want her parents to be okay with this. However, she also realizes that while she has decided to take Levi back (albeit with reservations; marriage counseling is definitely on the menu), her parents are going to demand actual actions to match Levi's pretty words.

He says he wants to step up to the plate and prove himself. He says he wants to get an education, get a job, and be there for Bristol and Tripp. But the Palins aren't fools. He's going to have to actually do those things and prove himself on a consistent basis.

If nothing else, I think it's clear that Bristol is on her own. She is independent from her parents and is making her own decisions.

I guess we'll see what happens. For now, I'm putting this down as a good thing, and I'm praying that Levi's on the up and up and that he will prove himself. I just want everyone to be happy. Prayers. Definitely some prayers going up.

I know some people are ticked off at Bristol as well. All I can say is watch the video on this story. And no, she's not pregnant. Good grief.

I watched my Aunt raise three kids on her own, one of whom had some development issues because her husband had kicked her while she was pregnant. It wasn't easy. She had to rely heavily on the help of friends and relatives. She managed it, but with a lot of wear and tear. If Bristol thinks that she can make it work with her child's father, I am going to be the last one to fault her for trying it.

And Levi, not everyone gets a second chance. You better not squander yours.

Now there are rumors that a reality show might be in the works. At this point, nothing would surprise me. Honestly, I'm not really sure I would even have a problem with it.

Levi and Bristol are engaged. They hope to get married within two months. I waver between vomit and relief that the soap opera is finally over.

Ya know, I was afraid this would happen. When Bristol didn't come out and deny that her and Levi were back together (even though Tank did), a little worry started poking its head around the corner of my mind.

Bristol, I cannot say that I condone your taste in men, that's for sure (LOL!), but good luck. I hope you know what you're doing.

And I do have to say, I always kind of thought that Bristol dumped him and that Levi wanted her back.

"We got engaged two weeks ago," Bristol, 19, tells Us Weekly. "It felt right, even though we don't have the approval of our parents." In other words, Sarah Palin didn't know Bristol and Levi and baby Tripp were breaking the news on the cover of Us.

"It is intimidating and scary just to think about what her reaction is going to be. Hopefully she will jump on board," Bristol told Us Weekly.

Bristol and Levi, 20 -- who called off their previous engagement two weeks after welcoming son Tripp in December 2008 -- tell Us Weekly they reconnected three months ago while working out a custody plan for their 18-month-old son. "I really thought we were over," Levi says. "So when I went, I had no hope. I think we both just started talking — and then we took Tripp for a walk."

Says Bristol, "When he left that night, we didn't hug or kiss, but I was thinking how different it was. He texted me: 'I miss you. I love you. I want to be with you again' ... I was in shock."

They want to get married as soon as possible, but no date is set. Bristol told Us Weekly she is not pregnant and they are practicing abstinence until the wedding.

So what do Sarah and Todd Palin have to say about the news? A statement was read on the Today show this morning from them:

"Bristol at 19 is now a young adult. We obviously want what's best for our children. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives."

In other words, they don't sound thrilled.

I wouldn't be either, Sarah. Haha! I think I would puke. I feel your pain.

But, and I do mean BUT, if Levi is serious, then I guess it's better for Tripp.

Maybe.

Seriously, they're like the teenage couple that's in love one week and hates each other the next. I hope they don't hit the "hate" cycle again anytime soon.

And now cue the media talking about this for the next three months or so...

UPDATE:

The complete statement put out by Mom and Dad:

"As parents, we obviously want what is best for our children, but Bristol is ultimately in charge of determining what is best for her and her beautiful son. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives.We pray that, as a couple, Bristol and Levi's relationship matures into one that will allow Tripp to grow up graced with two loving parents in his life."

I'm not sure I trust either one of these young pups' decision making. But, goodness knows that being a single parent is not easy, and it sure makes things a whole lot better for the kid if his parents aren't fighting all the time and he's not having to be shuffled between homes his whole childhood. If both parties are on the up and up, then I say, more power to 'em. We'll see.

My main beef in this whole affairis the media. Am I endorsing the billboard? No. I can see what the guy was trying to say (three types of socialism, same evil in varying degrees) but I don't think it sends the right message.

However, what burns my butt is how the media is going to get all hyped up over this when they ignored eight years of the kind of garbage in the video below. Not to mention that Palin is compared to Hitler all the time by freaks, even over at the Huffington Post, so don't even come crying to me about a billboard. Once again, I'm not condoning it, I'm just ticked off at the double standard.

And another thing, in a world where the media gives Obama a pass on things like him supporting infantacide as a state senator, it royally ticks me off to see them strain at this gnat. You strain at a gnat and you swallow a camel, and I'm about d*** tired of it.

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Disclaimers seem to be fashionable these days, so here's mine:

If you think that anything on this blog is in any way connected to Governor Palin herself, you're nuts. These are all my own stupid opinions. Palin probably doesn't even know I exist, nor does she care.

There, that should do it.

Oh, and don't assume that my posts from a year ago reflect the exact same opinion I hold now. I don't have time to go back and update every time I change my mind for the one or two people who are going to click on that post in the future.

"Notice how they’ll accept anything except a (wo)man who stands alone. They recognize (her) at once . . . . There’s a special, insidious kind of hatred for her. They forgive criminals. They admire dictators....They’ve got to force their miserable little personalities on every single person they meet. The independent (wo)man kills them—because they don’t exist within her and that’s the only form of existence they know. Notice the malignant kind of resentment against any idea that propounds independence. Notice the malice toward an independent (wo)man." - The Fountainhead